Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Slip Lane Safety And Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
After WisDOT denies slip‑lane demonstration, Wauwatosa committee votes to ask council to press for review
Summary
Wauwatosa alderpersons pressed WisDOT over right‑turn slip lanes on State Highway 181, cited child‑safety concerns, and voted unanimously to draft a committee/council statement asking DOT to review a trial; staff said WisDOT cited Wis. Stat. §86.32 in denying an on‑street demonstration.
Wauwatosa alderpersons on Thursday urged more action to remove right‑turn slip lanes on State Highway 181 at North Avenue and Wauwatosa Avenue, citing pedestrian safety concerns around schools, and unanimously directed staff to draft a statement and resolution asking the Common Council to press WisDOT for review.
City engineering staff reported that WisDOT project managers told the city they "do not support the trial" to close the slip lanes during the Highway 181 reconstruction, citing operational and safety considerations. "Wauwatosa Avenue is also known as State Highway 181," Mr. May said, and he cited Wisconsin Statute 86.32 as the authority under which DOT reviews traffic control changes on connecting highways.
Ryan Wallace, chair of the bike‑ped committee, told the committee he was "super bummed" WisDOT rejected the demonstration and urged vigorous public feedback when DOT presents alternatives. "A trial would provide good evidence towards the public feedback component of that project," Wallace said.
Several alderpersons framed the issue as an urgent safety problem. Alder Dolan recalled a July 2022 incident in which two constituents' children were struck near a state highway crossing, saying one child "ended up in the ICU," and urged stronger action. Alder Foley and others described slip lanes as dangerous for schoolchildren and noted crossing guards and frequent pedestrian crossings during arrival and dismissal times.
City staff described options short of unilateral closure — collecting crash and operational data to strengthen the city's case, seeking meetings with DOT, drafting a resolution for council, or escalating to the DOT secretary. Alder Brandon moved and Alder Foley seconded a measure directing staff to draft a Transportation Affairs Committee and Common Council statement requesting DOT revisit the trial request; the committee approved the motion unanimously and accepted an amendment to return a draft and supporting materials by Oct. 15 for the Oct. 22 council meeting.
Committee members also voted to keep the bike‑ped committee memo active (not place it on file), ensuring the matter remains on the committee's work plan.
What happens next: staff will compile crash/operational data, draft the proposed resolution and supporting materials for committee review by Oct. 15, and forward the item to the Oct. 22 Common Council meeting for possible council action to ask WisDOT to reconsider.
